Improvement in wagon-brakes



T. c. LAWRENCE; WAGON-BRAKES. V N0. 193,878. Patented Aug. 7,1877.

Ii/ med.- j 6 73% N PETERS, PNOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON D FFICE.

THEODORE G. LAWRENCE, OF LADOGA, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT m WAGON-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 193,878, dated August7, 1877 application filed March 31, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE O. LAW- RENGE, of Ladoga, county ofMontgomery and State of Indiana, have invented an Improved AutomaticLock or Brake; and the following description, taken in connection withthe accompanying plate of drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms afull and exact specification, wherein are set forth the nature andprinciples of the invention, by which the same may be distinguished fromothers of a similar class, together with such parts thereof as areclaimed as new, and are desired to be secured by Letters Patent of theUnited States.

Myinvention relates to that class of frictional devices applied to thewheels of a vehicle in order to retard its motion when descending ahill, commonly known as wagonbrakes or wagon-locks; and the naturethereof consists in certain improvements in the construction of thesame, and novel combinations of parts, hereinafter shown and described.

In the accompanying plate of drawings, in which corresponding parts aredesignated by the same letters, Figures 1 and 2 are plan views of theback part of a wagon having my improvements applied thereto,representing the brakes held respectively in a locked and unlockedposition by means of the lockinglever.

The brake-blocks A A are attached to the extremities of brake-rods B'B,which are pivoted together by a bolt, 01., and connected to theextremities of the equalizing-rod O by the connecting-bars b, which arealike pivoted to the said brake-rods and equalizing-rod.

The bolt by which the brake-bars are pivoted together passes through andis secured to the reciprocating bar D, which slides in an opening formedby connecting the ends of the brace-rods E by metal plates d. One of thesaid metal plates is arranged above and the other below the saidreciprocating bar, and they are provided with elongated apertures forthe reception of pins attached to the said reciprocating bar, whichprevent it from being forced too far backward or forward.

The said reciprocating bar may be secured in position by means of thelever H, pivoted to the metal plate 01, and having a curvilinear arm, h,which may be moved by the handle of the lever in front of or behind thepin upon the said reciprocating bar.

The operation of the mechanism is simple.

When the Vehicle passes down an inclined plane the reciprocating barforces the brakebars backward, and the pressure of the brakeblocks isequalized by the equalizing-rod pivoted to the bolster. When in thisposition the mechanism may be secured in place by pushing forward thelever H, which causes the curvilinear arm h to pass in front of the pinupon the reciprocating bar.

Having thus described my invention, I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- 1. The lever H, having an arm, h,and pivoted to the metal plate at, in combination with the reciprocatingbar.

2. The combination of the lever H, the metal plates d, the reciprocatingbar, the brakebars, and the equalizing-bar, as and for the purposesdescribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this12th day of March, 1877.

THEODORE O. LAWRENCE.

Witnesses:

E. W. LINN, J. W. ANDERSON.

